Only certain answers required
Last weekend, Scotland on Sunday ran a major story entitled “Scottish independence: Pension funds seek answers”, the theme of which was self-evident.
“Pension funds will step up calls for clarity over the implications of independence this week as the industry’s leaders gather for a key conference in Edinburgh.
The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has warned that more answers are needed if its members are able to make informed decisions ahead of September’s referendum.
‘I’m not sure we’re any further forward in getting answers to our questions,’ NAPF chief executive Joanne Segars told Scotland on Sunday. ‘It’s not for us or our members to tell people in Scotland how to vote but our members face a lot of issues around regulation, compensation schemes and scheme funding.’
‘But it is the funding of cross-border schemes that most urgently needs to be addressed‘, she added. Under European Union law, pension schemes with members both in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK would need to be fully funded at all times. In the November report, NAPF said such a regime would result in more final salary schemes closing.”
(Our emphasis.) Since then, of course, there have been some developments.
On Thursday this website exclusively revealed that the actuarial industry in fact expects the cross-border funding requirement to be repealed, with the ruling expected within a matter of weeks. The BBC managed to pick up the story the following day, quoting Paul Kelly of consultants Towers Watson:
“Mr Kelly said the move could have big implications if Scotland voted for independence, saying: ‘We don’t know the timing but in principle it does get rid of one of the issues.'”
So it’s rather odd that the Scotsman still hasn’t reported a single word of the story, two full days after we broke it, when the need for answers was apparently so urgent as recently as Sunday. Nor has the Herald, which made a major issue of the cross-border funding problem back in April last year. Nor has the Telegraph, which has been banging on about it for even longer.
In fact, we can’t find the story reported in a single Scottish or UK newspaper. As far as we can tell the BBC is the only outlet to have mentioned it at all, and that in a fairly low-key manner. (There’s plenty of room in the “quality” papers, however, for stories about Andy Murray’s haircut or the Outer Hebrides losing a traffic warden.)
It seems that as far as the Scottish media is concerned, answers to questions about independence are only important when they’re the right kind of answers. Those which might be positive for the Yes campaign are neither needed nor wanted.
Oh dear! Words fail me.
No disrespect to Rev Stu but regarding the media I feel like I have read this article several times already. How often have we seen project fears mutterings spread all over the media only to stand by and watch the tumbleweed blow past when there is a positive counter story?
This will not be forgotten.
Henry Ford is famously quoted as saying that purchasers of his Model T Ford could have any colour they wanted; so long as it is black.
The BBC really is following a policy of finding any negative story and reporting it as fact. If the story is not negative they slew, misinterpret, selectively quote, lie or even do not report.
Every opportunity must be taken on every news or politics slot or show. The younger ones, or Scottish outliers, seem overzealous to conform and ingratiate themselves with the baboons further up the tree. Their contract and renewal of the same depends on it.
Organised boycott of the BBC tax is preciously close to kicking off.
And the BBC managed to end that announcement with “there are still lots of hurdles to overcome”
Alex Massie was explaining on twitter that negative stories from businesses are newsworthy because they involve ‘big changes’, but positive stories aren’t newsworthy because they don’t.
Perhaps the same principal applies here.
The official Yes and SNP campaigns are due to start, along with the Wings new campaign, this kind of news can be spread across the country.
I would also assume it will be spoken about at every debate now, (including First Minister’s Questions, Alex is good at fitting in this type of news).
If the bit about the Deputy of the BofE statement is confirmed, it will be out there too.
All the hoo-ha over preserving the wonderful UK pension. I was 65 last November. DWP blithely informed me that some 30% of my due pension had been “contracted-out” during my working years – though no one consulted me. After chasing around I was informed by HMRC that the Civil Service Pension scheme were responsible for the missing portion; they gave me a reference number for this. C(r)apita are the administrators for this…they can’t find a trace of this reference number and recommend I contact the Civil Service lot directly…meantime my pension is shrunken. When I hear Broon banging on about UK pensions I see red.
It won’t stop Gordon Brown travelling the country scaring the life out of pensioners.
yer average punter, though, can’t but have been cheered by Tommy Sheridan this morning.
naebd.
One of the important aspects of the Referendum campaign is just how irrelevant commentators like Massie and Naughtie have become.
There was a time when I listened to Radio Four Today program with some respect. What i’ve found is how little changes because of what they report.
Much bigger changes are being created through the information from Wings and Newsnet Scotland and a few others.
Totally O/T but certainly got me chortling ower my cornflakes this mornin – check out Panini 2014 stickers england 😀
reminds me of a headline on another article “MSM rags get tripped up by man from Towers Watson”..
Tommy has really been a revelation at recent meetings. On top of his game and ever so passionate. I was not previously a supporter but changed my mind big style.
We urgently need uncertainty. The SNP must stop trying to fob us off with facts and logic.
Maybe you’ll see this being reported more widely when it actually happens rather than when it’s people talking about it possibly happening within an uncertain timeframe, and being implemented long after the proposed date of independence.
what is Toom Tabbard Broon going to say about this on his tragical pisstery tour?
@an_observer – The thing is that if this was a negative report in terms of the yes campaign it would be trumpeted on front page and every news report on TV, I think that’s what Stuart is getting at
A cynic might even think they have an agenda
😉
Fortunately by the gift of news analysis sites like this, blogs and twitter they don’t control the message in the way they used to do.
It is startling that not a single print title is even neutral regarding independence until you understand that barely a single “Scottish” title is actually in Scottish ownership.
Their viewpoint then sits within the same Venn diagram sphere as Westminster MP’s, the BBC (English Broadcasting Corporation) & the English broadsheets/tabloids & periodicals. Even The Economist is in English hands.
I used to read a magazine called “Scotland Magazine” until I discovered that it was published & printed in Norwich, FFS.
It should come as no surprise to arrivals at this website & others like it then, that there is a growing revulsion for print & broadcast media in Scotland & only recently countered by a growing interest in on-line media.
I genuinely believe that without the internet, our aspirations would be utterly futile.
Take note MSM, even if, heaven forbid, a NO vote is delivered in September, we are not going away and neither will the facts being recorded here daily and on other sites.
The only thing that will go away, will be your disgusting rags and yer jobs if you don’t play fair!
No doubt the noble and honest Scotland on Sunday will go big with the repeal tomorrow and then pigs will also fly. This is what post independence Scots meeja will be like, England, London, England, London, there’s been another murder in Glasgow.
G. H. Graham
The Scots Review edited by Kenneth Roy is very much Scottish and his recent edition, available online free has a nice we debunking article on Scottish Life and their office bearers, well some of them.
link to scottishreview.net
He also has a book out called The Invisible Spirit and his story of post War Scotland. Well worth the read.
Great Scot! Tommy Sheridan on GMS today having a reasoned and uninterrupted debate with an “International Socialist” discussing the merits or otherwise of socialism in one country and relevance to the Independence debate. Short of course, nothing can be allowed to interrupt the frequent reports of sport, weather and travel. But broadcast to the nation. Is this a first?
That tiny reference on the BBC web site is indeed the only one I have seen since the news broke. Who reported it? Not Glen C or Douglas F but by a new name.
Better mention it here as she might be kinda new and not read the BBC guide to news reporting in Scotland.
By Colletta Smith
BBC Scotland economics correspondent
link to agendani.com
link to bbc.co.uk
Gordon and Alastair will have to review their notes before conducting any more pension scare stories.
an_observer: “Maybe you’ll see this being reported more widely when it actually happens rather than when it’s people talking about it possibly happening within an uncertain timeframe”
What like ‘a currency union is unlikley’ and all the other independence possible/maybe/could uncertainty stories that are not widely reported in the MSM at present?
ICAS made a statement about pensions where almost their whole concern was about cross border pensions. I wonder if they will make a new statement.
link to icas.org.uk
I said ‘almost’ deliberately. The report highlighted concerns they had with the UK pension scheme that has not been picked up particularly by the press. Derek Bateman covered this recently too
link to derekbateman1.wordpress.com
I wonder what the Bitters have to say about the UK pension scheme. No doubt Brown, the pension thief, will be along to tell us his vision as an ex-politician very soon.
Many others have said it before but somehow the broadcasting media has to be tackled directly about the propaganda they keep churning out, as this is having in my view a far greater negative impact than the newspapers .
Demonstrations in front of PQ whilst completely well-intended, achieve little, and I feel all our energies need to be channeled into a genuine Folk Movement for fair broadcasting. How to get a profile which is noticed will involve force of numbers and not a little cash (recent fund-raising success by Rev Stuart indicates there is a willingness to fund initiatives for something which can be demonstrated to achieve a result)plus technology to fight fire with fire.
How about a radio channel with full compare and contrast of BBC reports with the real stories of the day/week to get the ball rolling?
They probably allowed Tommy Sheridan on interrupted as they think he is tainted and not good for the YES campaign to have him support us.
I know there is a lot of personal anger directed at him from his ex colleagues, people who have had dealings with him, but I don’t know the man.
I willing to give him the benefit of the doubt at least until the Coulson perjury trial in relation to Tommy Sheridan’s trial is over. I have a sneaking suspicion that the “establishment” decided that Tommy had to be sidelined.
However with Coulson up in front of the Old Bailey just now on conspiracy charges it may be a while before he gets Scottish justice.
I do marvel at people who work at rags like the Scotsman. Do they honestly not realise the plug will probably be pulled on the paper soon after September?
Exactly, Alan
Pensions are the key to this. Young people don’t listen to their parents but do respect their Nans. If we can shew everybody’s Nan that she is safer and probably better off in iScotland than under Gideon’s austerity, now with added £20bn black hole, then we get twice the converts. Job done.
The £20bn extra black hole is a real disaster for Westminster, it comes from a forecast that the Help to Buy “boom” is a bust. The biggies that are left in the chopping order are the NHS, pensions and Debt interest. They can’t do debt interest or the money dries up which leaves the NHS or pensions.
Maybe they can get double savings by stopping the NHS treating anyone over 65, they save on the NHS and the pensions of those who top themselves rather than live in pain any longer.
@bunter
‘Better Together’ and its media followers don’t seem to understand the damage they are doing to their own cause, long-term, by pursuing this campaign of negativity. At present they may think they are winning, but their short-sightedness is staggering.
The media could so easily have enabled a good-going, honest debate about the pros and cons of both independence and the union; but no. The BBC and print media have lost all credibility in many people’s eyes. If, through their dishonourable tactics, they succeed in bringing about a No vote, it will be a Pyrrhic victory.
Why? Because those tactics of deceit, dishonesty and omission are here for all to see, for all time. There’s ‘British fair play’ for you. Nice one, guys!
@creag an tuirc
“What like ‘a currency union is unlikley’ and all the other independence possible/maybe/could uncertainty stories that are not widely reported in the MSM at present?”
The impossibility of a formal currency union has been widely reported on?
The final piece in ian Bell’s article in the Herald today says it all
“Like the other strange musketeers Mr Alexander has a single tactic he mistakes for strategy: first create uncertainty,then complain about uncertainty. Then be sure,at every turn,to call your contribution “positive”.
The remember to explain yourself to the voters back home.”
ManInTheJar… regardless of the vote in September, this whole process is waking people up by the barrow load… and you are right, the complete and total propaganda in the establishment media will never be forgotten.
I think, again regardless of the vote, that in the decades to come, this paradigm shift and the process we have been gifted, will be seen as just as important as the result… if not in some ways even more so with regards to the mindset and ideals of a new shaped Scotland.
The BBC first reported the story yesterday on the lunchtime edition of Reporting Scotland. A slightly lengthier piece was included in the evening programme.
It might be fair to say that the BBC in particular are only interested in stories where there are no clear answers. That leaves plenty of scope because the UK government are not in the business of providing clarity. Independence is to be prevented at any cost.It has become a survival issue for them. What I would like to see more of is international reaction. I appreciate that this might be difficult, but surely everybody abroad cannot be in thrall to London? Can they? Or is the reason for silence the worry about an economic meltdown being the overriding issue?
Last night on EBC paper review thought we were getting through without anti Scottish propaganda. Then out of nowhere, no preamble, no intro. one of these clowns blurts out “oil running out, investment almost zero, negative investment flag, this from some unnamed expert who has been in North Sea oil from the start”. The other guy just stared at him, mouth open. The mouthpiece just grinned, the EBC presenter looked a little shocked. They immediately moved onto next topic, budgies shit or something. Obviously so contrived and pitiful it even had these three embarrassed and confused.
Martine Croxall was the presenter.
@ yerkibreeks: so what did oor Tommy do or say this morning?
@ jingly jangly: I understand there are representatives from Scotland attending the Coulson/Brooks trial, on whose behalf I don’t know. I share your suspicion and also wonder when Lothian Police will sift out who released the video of Sheridon’s wife being grilled at a police station. And of course who initiated the failed attempt to damage her over her collection of whisky miniatures.
I’ve never met him, and have no opinion on the man. I’m more concerned that what happened to his wife and him could happen to any of us.
I don’t think his prosecution and trial was the Scottish police nor the judiciary’s finest hour.
As a kid my old man used to tell me “the problem with liars son is half the lies they tell ar’nt true”
@ Alan Gerrish
“How about a radio channel with full compare and contrast of BBC reports with the real stories of the day/week to get the ball rolling?”
Someone – apologies I forget who – has already looked into the costs and timescales involved on a previous thread and thought it prohibitive. But I agree this is a huge issue which needs airing online or through leaflets and podcasts. Derek’s description of a Ponzi scheme is quite right. We may have thought that, because it was called a “National Insurance” scheme, it involved wisely investing our pooled contributions in order to fund our pensions. But WG’s “unfunded” scheme relies on today’s taxpayers to fund today’s pensioners. So in effect our contributions are merely an extra tax squandered on tax cuts for the rich and infrastructure schemes for London and the South East. Fraudulent.
Can’t say I know anything about the whole Tommy Sheridan thing either.
I know a lot of the Ayrshire SSP branch and have heard their thoughts on him. If Tommy ever tells me his side of the story, I’m prepared to listen. Until then, I’m just keeping out of that.
He’s a good speaker, I’ll give him credit for that. Heard some of the highlights of him making Brian “doon-a-hole” Donohoe look like a chump at that public debate in Irvine. No wonder Donohoe didn’t want anyone filming it, eh? 😉
I will say though, that back when the Bedroom Tax was first introduced and I was looking to join up with a group opposing it, the SSP were certainly the more visible. They’re almost a regular fixture with their stalls in Irvine, campaigning on various issues.
So far I’ve never even seen a Solidarity party stall anywhere (might have caught a glimpse of a couple of people from it at a march in Stirling last year, that’s about it).
So yeah, I just joined up with the people who were actually getting out there talking to the people like me about things that made sense to me, campaigning to change things I wanted to change too. If Tommy and Co. had been there instead that day, I might have been persuaded to join up with them. Then at least I’d have had more spare time to come on here and post… Strange how fate works, isn’t it?
Personally, I’d say just leave all the distractions aside and keep our eyes on the prize! We can all have food fights at the celebration party once the battles are won 🙂
O/T Over on Business for Scotland just now
link to businessforscotland.co.uk
Sheridan on GMS Saturday Edition 1hr 16mins 15secs in.
link to bbc.co.uk
See the Daily (Broken) Record at it again today. Making merry about a leaked Yes Scotland Bill Board poster from an alleged disgruntled “nationalist”. The poster highlighted the opportunity of living in a rich country.
You know the tactic of course, people now look at it and because its already been rubbished by another Unionist Rag it can’t possibly be true.
Gets me so angry these wastes of print state propoganda machines.
I work in customer service for Scottish Widows (based in Edinburgh) who are owned by Lloyds. On thursday morning the staff were given instructions on how to answer a customer (remember Scottish Widows have a lot of customers in England, who would become ‘foreign’ acccording to the NO Campaign), if we were asked about how Scottish independence would impact upon their pensions.
I can’t remember the precise details (we’re generally busy with rather more urgent queries) but I was surprised at how clear these answers were from Lloyds, considering how ‘in the dark’ the financial sector are portrayed to be by the press. They were exactly the sort of answers the press ask for constantly, and here was a London-based financial firm, of all people, confidently delivering them.
I was particularly surprised and encouraged to read Lloyds referring to (and directly quoting from!) the Scottish Government’s White Paper in their answers 🙂
@an_observer
so maybe it should be reported on the 19th of september then?
Talking about pensions, I contacted Standard Life as I am going to transfer my pension away from them, I wrote twice as I had no response, then I got 2 letters from 2 different people from 2 different offices with exactly the same text, stating they will not leave Scotland and have no wish to influence the debate, I replied saying that when the BBC retract their statements with as much fanfare as they rolled them out, then I will remain with them. Sad that they have some Tory directors! My money will be shifting soon.
of course the wrong questions are being asked again my question would be WHY are the pension funds underfunded,of course the answer is its just another SCAM to take the monies off hard working people.
WHY do pension fund managers get paid millions when they cant even do their jobs right.
As was recently mentioned here humour is a powerful weapon. However senior politicians have to retain gravitas so that they are not seen as lightweights. Down at my mundane level I see a way of bridging that problem.
Could I suggest a potent use could be made of these celebrity paper masks EG Putin at door of Better Together or Alex Salmond at the Education offices in Aberdeen. Now where could the Great Ginger One be seen?DWP ?
I now ask myself, what other issues (other than those directly about Scottish Independence) in the past have the establishment, BBC and MSM manipulated and spun into a deceit of the people, that we still do not know about?
Truely frightening.
Ian Bell’s final paragraph in today’s Herald says it all.
“Like the other strange musketeers Mr Alexander has a single tactic he mistakes for a strategy: first create uncertainty, then complain about uncertainty. Then be sure,at every turn,to call your contribution “positive”.
Then remember to explain yourself to the voters back home.”
It is easy to understand why the pension funds and the financial institutions were nervous about the cross border funding arrangements; in simple terms these pension schemes had to be fully funded. At present they are not fully funded. Under the present arrangements independence would mean that the extent of this black hole would not only be exposed but would need to be filled. A “no vote” would have meant that the pension funds and financial institutions would have been able to carry on pretending there wasn’t a problem hoping to keep kicking it down the road for ever and a day or until something ( heaven knows what) turned up.
They are clearly concerned that there might just be a “yes vote” and the shortfall in pension funding will be exposed. They neither want this nor have they the first clue how to fund their obligations and liabilities to those who have paid into these schemes throughout their working lives.
Isn’t it wonderful how when politicians, bureaucrats and financial institutions put their heads together rules which might be inconvenient can be so quickly and easily changed.
O/T – I posted yesterday on the “Sticking to the script” thread that Danny Alexander had been given an easy time on BBC Radio Scotland yesterday morning, but had wobbled when only slightly pressed by the interviewer on a couple of occasions.
Derek Bateman comments on this, and on other points, in a great summary of where we all are now:-
link to derekbateman1.wordpress.com
If you haven’t already read this, I would highly recommend it.
Tommy was arguing with a left wing Unionist who rather weakly made the case, in my view, for it not being right for Scotland to go it alone a leave Manchester etc., in the grip of neo-liberal capitalists.
By that logic it would be wrong for Britain to oust neo-liberals and leave the working class in Bonn, Rouen, Barcelona etc., in the grip of neo-liberal capitalists. By that way of thinking no one would ever be free of them. It would be totally illogical for internationalism applied in this manner to stop at Calais.
A cynic might think that such an approach is governed purely by Labour not wanting to lose seats in Scotland and has nothing to do with ousting neo-liberal capitalists…something I can’t see Ed Balls doing anyway.
I worked for a long haul airline for 30 years and the cabin crew came from all over Europe. The company encouraged this as it gave the airline an international feel. Many of the European crew lived in their native countries and commuted by air to Heathrow to pick up their restored flight.
There was never a problem with payment of salaries or pensions that I ever heard of so I am not quite sure why there would suddenly be a problem with an independent Scotland.
As for the BBC I think its time for a Pacific Quay demo but on a massive scale.
@Fergie35
I recieved a copy and paste letter from standard life today,cancelled my life assurance policy last week,cant even be bothered with a personal letter to customers it seems.
looks by the reference number on top that theyve sent out quite a few though,maybe they’ll get the message we’re pissed off?
@Alba4Eva says:
Waite for a short time and I’m sure we will hear more leaked info on the “tiny” radio active leek at Dounray. Which was kept SECRET.
These reactors are installed in submarines at faslane mm! Going to refuel one for no apparent reason, they hope the others are ok, though there’s nothing wrong with the one they are going to refuel. At a cost of £120 million.
Steven Lawrence, Iraq war, dodgy dossier, MP expenses, extraordinary rendition, phone hacking, Afghanistan, Russian fleet anchored in Firth of Forth, we had one damaged frigate to investigate after the MOD found out about them on Facebook. Met undercover operations, police corruption, etc. etc. ad infinitem.
That’s the security and good governance the people of Scotland are demanding, or maybe it’s what we deserve.
The klunking fist is going on a pension campaign to terrify the old things out of their skin, just has to rearrange some of his facts since Danny Alexander made an arse of the preparation work. The facts ain’t facts, nothing to serious, big Gordy will spin it round for these silly pensioners.
More of the same. Standing back and looking at the BT campaign in its entirety it is reasonable to make a simple statement – BT have never said anything which is the truth !
They have offered opinions, but then others will offer alternative opinions.
However, as we know, the biased MSM leaves their opinions unsubstatiated and unchallenged by failing to report both sides. Opinions are being treated in the MSM as facts. If it were not for this biased reporting no one would take anything BT have said as actually true.
Just under 200days to go and more and more Scots are going to realise BT say nothing worth listening to.
By contrast there are many fundimental truths about Independence. Never again will we be ruled by governments we didn’t vote for. We won’t have WMDs. etc etc..
@Papadox
That’s not even to mention the old Polaris ones that for all we know are still sitting there waiting to be decommissioned, rusting away and leaking stuff I don’t even want to think about.
I suppose I can understand Westminster not wanting that stuff anywhere near them. Much better to dump it on the expendable plebs up in Scotlandshire, eh? Doesn’t matter if any of their countryside becomes radioactive, does it?
On the subject of the fearbomb spin-cycle (currency-EU-pensions-jobflight-currency-EU etc. etc.), and discussions yesterday on Wings, my take on the currency issue after listening to Danny Alexander and John Swinney on BBC Radio Scotland yesterday morning is as follows.
Danny Alexander and his Unionist parties allies are definitely bluffing, so the YES Campaign must continue not to blink on the currency issue.
(See the points in Derek Bateman’s post of yesterday regarding Danny Alexander wobbling in the radio interview, and on the Unionist parties proud tradition of lying to the Scottish people.)
The bind that the Unionist parties are in is that they have broken their own rule (“no pre-negotiations”) over the currency issue.
Breaking this rule will have serious consequences for them.
e.g. the answer from the YES Campaign to any questions about “clarity” over the currency for an iScotland should run along the lines of:
The sensible thing for both iScotland and rUK to do will be to have a currency union using the Pound (which belongs as much to Scotland as it does to the rest of the UK).
The currency union needs to be seen as a component of the wider independence settlement, which includes other areas such as national debt and nuclear weapons.
It is in this wider agreement context, as well as in the individual context of currency, that the rUK will, either before the September vote or after, agree to a mutually-beneficial currency union.
Just sayin’
@Tattie-bogle
Why wait six months to report something that has happened in the last couple of weeks?
OT but unless it hasnt been posted yet,here’s George Galloway and Brian Wilson discussing Scottish indy
BT—twitter feed spreading this,you couldn’t make it up
link to twitter.com
pity he was kicked out of Labour
It’s all so scary. I cannot think of a single undertaking that won’t be worse after a YES vote.
I suppose that is why every country in the world is so desperate to be run from London once again. That 25% of the World who had all those benefits and made the mistake of running their own affairs.(Canada / America / New Zealand / India / etc)
Take a trip back to the period just before the union – Scotland in the 17th. Century. Edinburgh was known as the Athens of the North. The great thinkers all came to Scotland to benefit and contribute to the period of enlightenment.
Thinking was replaced by war and greed post the union. I would like to return to the path we were once following.
The last 300years has been a wrong turning we now need to get back on the right road.
I think Brian Wilson is fundamentally wrong in that independence is a substitute for social justice. One could argue that voting Labour has been a substitute for social justice. Independence is a doorway to greater opportunity to choose a Government that represents the peoples’ aspirations.
Not sure the people of Ayrshire will be pleased to hear that Brian has a greater affinity for the people of the Hebrides than the Central Belt though.
Apart from the obvious “evil separatists” slant from Wilson he was at least less silly than George who has some well worn bullshit he likes to trot out.
@Oneironaut says:
Bottom of the holy loch I believe is heavily contaminated with what nobody knows nor wants to find out, just don’t talk about it ok. Anybody who has ever worked with some American operations will know what I mean. The yanks were allowed to use and abuse the holy loch with impunity, the UK would be responsible for the clean up. Open window for the yanks.
Wilson was a member of the SNP, but as he wasn’t fast tracked up the greasy pole he left in the huff.
He once tried to bribe me to move my vote away from Aberdeen (I stayed in a safe labour seat) to Arran where he was standing in a Tory held constituency. I have got to admit I did take the bribe (Pint of Lager) but didn’t transfer my vote…
Are we talking about the same Arthur Misty Thackeray, who as Ukip’s Scottish leader, claimed that Glasgow council was run by a hitherto unknown conspiracy of “gays, Catholics, and communists”.
Here is an article warning that UKIP will hit the red Tories harder than the blue Tories. I wasn’t sure if was being ironic, then I realised it is written from a metropolitan perspective. Doh, silly me.
“Beyond electoral tactics lies a regard for populists who are anti-establishment. George Galloway may have crawled up the posteriors of half the dictators on the planet, while Alex Salmond may want to place barriers between the English and the Scots where none has existed for 300 years, but at least they are sticking it to the “system”. Likewise, Farage is a card, who hounds the professional politicians – and all those other pampered elitists who rip us off and ruin our lives.”
link to theguardian.com
WOW!
I have now seen Beaker on two news programmes, one last night and the other today. Nothing wrong with that you might think but he wasn’t wearing his glasses! I’m thinking he’s had a wee pay rise and has got himself some contact lenses. 😉
I think it is a wee pity that Beaker couldn’t do what most folk would do and that is make adjustments to his speech after the news about the E.U. changing the rules about pensions came out. There again why change the habits of a lifetime, just stick to the plan eh?
With regards to good old Gordie Broon I wonder if anyone will be able to get in to hear the great Gordo lecture his audience on the BAD idea of Scottish independence. No doubt anyone wanting to hear the great Gordo will have to jump through hoops to get there, pre-register, sign the official secrets act, undergo full body search to ensure no recording equipment is being carried in to the event and of course sign a waiver that you promise never to ask the great Gordo any questions during the event! 🙂
George Galloway and Brian Wilson discussing Scottish indy is not exactly a discussion. Also Wilson is Visiting Professor in Media and Government at Glasgow Caledonian University, which goes a long to explain that vote No outfit too. Its like none of them actually live in Scotland and ofcourse Wilson says himself he has “more affinity to the Outer Hebrides than Scotland” Lucky them.
In case you missed it the last time it was posted, here is Lucozade doing it’s part for the Yes Campaign.
It’s on 40ft billboards around Paisley and Glasgow and hopefully one near you.
It’s a real eye opener. And to think that the real YES posters will be going up soon on similar billboards.
Things are starting to move.
link to 1.hidemyass.com
“more affinity to the Outer Hebrides than Scotland”
Is the man a separatist?
So Galloway says Scotland will be forever under the control of the Tories through currency union, the currency union Osborne/Alexander/Milliband say no too anyway.
And then Wilson says yes that will happen, both countries will be run the Tories, so vote no, vote Labour or same lot that left behind 4th most unequal country in the OECD, near bankruptcy national debt, super rich tax dodging City, horrifying illegal wars, and former PM Tony Blair now worth £75 million?
Why are Labour in Scotland so surprised that their absolute right to rule Scotland is maybe not so absolute any more and is it any wonder that two old liars like these look so decrepit?
Just to go back on topic, surely what the MSM wants is uncertain answers?
Some elite person has decreed that only bad things are news. No news is good news. So the MSM, with falling lectors / auditors, is flailing about trying to create bad things, which they believe to be news, in the hope that their reports will be taken as news for which people will pay or to which give audience. So they don’t want things to be certain or, in another way, they want uncertain answers.
Galloway is of course a “Proud Scot”, that might be today, or it might be tomorrow, or whenever he wishes to say it. It largely depends where he is seeking exposure. To support the Unionist cause however is his mantra, confusing as it is.
He is an MP in England, as far as I know he stays in England now, so he has a need to prove how much he is in step with that.
I little piece of work, unfortunately we have many of the same ” proud scots “, yet they want to defy Democracy in their own land.
None of these will be effected by Food Banks,nor poverty, they only have their own agenda’s. i.e. how much they can stuff in their pockets while fellow Scots suffer, they will make multiple income streams from any source they can.They are utterly shameful.
I have to give up. I couldn’t answer the question on how much a stamp would be after independence – we’re doomed.
O/T is this preferred reading for better together/WM
link to psywarrior.com
@CameronB, nah Prof Wilson’s just one more of labour’s yesterday men cashing in on 2014, just like Galloway and his world tour of Scotland against Scottish democracy thing.
Prof Wilson would have at least some cred if labour had actually been a successful gov in three full terms of Westminster power but talk about polishing a turd, a Brown/Darling/Blair turd. RT probably paid Wilson’s flights from Aberdeen and appearance cash or, a grand day out in merry olde London toon for an angry old mannie.
Brian Wilson, wtf. I’m Hebridean so er…Scottish. What’s he trying to start?
@ CameronB
“Is the man a separatist?”
No but he is on the Board of AMEC Nuclear Holdings Ltd.
“Wilson holds directorships in a number of energy related businesses and continues to publicly comment on UK government energy policy, particularly on the subject of nuclear power, which he is a supporter of.” (Wikipedia)
Also, I think he originally edited the West Highland Free Press decades ago.
I was just stirring. 🙂
A rather partisan and disingenuous individual, IMO. ;(
It would also appear that he is on the make. Now there’s a surprise for a Westminster forelock tug-er.
O/T Here’s Robin McAlpine speaking on the ‘Imagine A Better Scotland’ event. Part 2 of 4. Lesley Riddoch, Ross Ingerbergson (SNP’s head of Media and Communication) and Alistair Bruce, a well kent Kircaldy man speaking about why he is for an Independent Scotland. There’s also a Q&A in this set of videos. All the links are on the right handside of the video pane. Love listening to Robin…enjoy!
link to m.youtube.com
@Papadox
I you take a gander at Rosyth on Google Earth you can see the subs just sitting in the basin. They are all listed on the Wikipedia page:
link to en.wikipedia.org
I wonder if their final fate will be a matter of the negotiations? Why should Scotland have to host and deal with them?
The whole of the media with exception of Sunday Herald is biased against independence and this constant negativity sets the BBC’s agenda as in Scotland they don’t have any staff capable of doing serious research but no excuse for London output not to highlight the downside to Ruk of no Currency Union.
Why has no one challenged the reality of the huge costs involved if a firm moves from Edinburgh to London.
Due higher property rentals etc, the average overhead cost in London for each employee is over £11,000 (compared to £3000 for Scotland) and that’s before the much higher salaries required and the correspondingly higher NI and pension contributions.
Average salaries in the sector are well over £50,000 per annum plus 20% annual bonus.
Having worked in the City of London I can assure you that no one likes the one or two hour hellish journey to and from work and life in Edinburgh is ten times better for anyone aged over 30.
@caz-m
Is that Lucozade thing actually connected with the Yes campaign?
I bought a bottle of it recently (to keep my energy up while going around delivering Yes newspapers appropriately enough!) noticed the large “YES” on the bottle and read the stuff on the back which offered me the opportunity to look for a code on the back of the bottle label and enter it into the website to be entered into a prize draw for lots of goodies.
Not being born yesterday I decided not to, but I checked the website anyway to find out whether or not this was connected to the Yes campaign. It only mentions something called “The Yes Project”, but nowhere does it mention independence and their site has no mention of what the heck the mysterious “Yes Project” actually is.
Makes me wonder if they’re not just trying to cash in on the rising popularity of the Yes campaign while holding back from openly supporting it, just in case.
Maybe I’m just getting cynical in my old age… Anyone reading this site who works for Lucozade and can clear this up?
We should remember that Brian Wilson is working for the Con Dem UK government having been appointed in 2012 as a “business ambassador” which involves persuading companies to support the No campaign.
He was at the forefront of the Scotland is British NO campaign that opposed limited devolution in 1979 and supported the 40% rule that meant the dead were counted as No voters.
Along with Johann Lamont he stood shoulder to shoulder with the Tories against a Scottish Assembly.
A very interesting contribution from Leslie Thomson:
“””Although ‘Embarrassment for Alexander After EU Signals Pension Rule Changes’ from Newsnet is an interesting article relating to pensions in an independent Scotland; there is another important pensions rules change that not many people are aware of worth noting.
The current law is that all employers with 5 or more employees, unless exempt under certain rules, must offer their employees a stakeholder pension scheme. The goal of the current government is to have just about everybody in an employer-run stakeholder scheme by 2018, and that can only have one logical conclusion – to scrap the UK state pension. Westminster MPs KNOW this, yet conveniently forget to mention it when they start scaremongering about pensions in an independent Scotland.
This informative link explains the stakeholder pension scheme:
link to tuc.org.uk
Trades Union Congress – TUC Stakeholder Pension Scheme – A TUC guide for union reps
http://www.tuc.org.uk“””
Fergie35 – or anyone else who has one – any chance you could tell me the exact wording of your letter from Standard Life? I have a wee plan to try to counter the spin but need to know exactly what they’re saying to customers. Better still, if you can post a photo of it??
Thanks
Just watched fucking Stadler and Waldorf and feel quite sick, they are of course entitled to their opinion but FFS ‘the independence party’ ‘braveheart’ ‘the seperatists’ why no one on your sputnik program who advocates independence. Just say naw tae the cat
Brian Wilson founded and ran (is till running?) the West Highland Free press, and played a decisive part in saving the Islands’ tweed industry.
I don’t like his politics at a national level, but he has done a lot of good for the Hebrides
@Lee Rogers says:
Brian Wilson founded and ran (is till running?) the West Highland Free press, and played a decisive part in saving the Islands’ tweed industry.
Cue: Statement of the Bleeding Obvious:-
” … and then the self-serving scumbag sold-out, and became a sad pathetic mouthpiece for the repulsive vested interests that are everything that the West Highland Free Press was set up to report and fight against.”
Is it my imagination, or are a lot of Labour MSPs and MPs not saying much during the Independence campaign? We seem to hear from remarkably few of them. Just the same few voices being associated with BT. Or, is it that they rarely hear from them at any time?
The thought just flashed into my mind that some are keeping a low profile so they can claim a political life-after-Yes!
galamcennalath
I have been wondering the very same thing! Also wondering why Brown is not speaking under the BT banner, can’t decide if it’s because he doesn’t want to be seen jumping into bed with Cameron or if he’s still huffy with Darling?
Was also in the company of four Standard Life employees last night (family in law!) – they are all raging at the media spin put on the SL statement, it is causing them untold stress both professionally and personally, but none of them (or any of their colleagues) have any doubt WHATSOEVER that they will remain in Edinburgh and will not be moving anywhere.
Brian Wilson is Dunoon man. He was in the Dunoon SNP with his brother as a teenager. By all accounts he was the wee shite then that he is now.
I lived on the Holy Loch the year every shellfish and all the muscle beds around it suddenly died. Not long after the American’s left and took Polaris with them (1991?)there was a sudden move to clean the Holy Loch. The last American commandant on the base actually had a letter sent from US published in the Dunoon Observer urging them to abandon this dangerous plan. Leave the sea bed alone was his urgent advice.
We had public meetings and we were assured that the sea bed was covered in debris, vehicles and other flotsam and jetsam which the US felt responsible for. We said we didn’t care . It would increase the fish population of what had been a cod spawning loch.
The clean-up went ahead.
Then suddenly, without warning,the fleet of small vessels that had been doing it disappeared overnight. Word was they had found the item they were looking for.
There has been an alarming incidence of non Hodgkins lymphoma, leuakamia and throat and gullet cancers around the Holy Loch
Diane says
Standard Life employs thousands in Ireland and manages UK investors funds.
http://www.standardl
ife.ie/1/site/ie/home
Oh wait Ireland is a foreign country and uses the Euro whereas an independent Scotland will continue to use the pound in or out a currency union.
But don’t expect the biased BBC or right wing UK press to report this fact.
They’ve just started a new scare about pensions, saying Scots won’t be covered by the Pension Protection Fund.
This is a fund that kicks in should a pension scheme collapse and guarantees a proportion of your pension will be paid.
What they seem to have missed out is how this PPF is funded. It is funded by a levy on ALL pension schemes. That means that as you might expect, Scots and Scottish companies are paying into this fund (indirectly via their pension schemes).
So I’d reckon that if Scots are not going to be covered by the PPF, then we’ll be due a humungous payment to cover all the levies that have been paid. Then we can set up our own.
The NO campaign is the laziest campaign ever.
Tory millionaires pay for everything, Labour do the only thing they are good at by providing the obligatory sociopaths to Project Fear to fantasise nonsensical press releases designed to induce fear and threats and Project Fear’s proxies BBC and the London owned newspapers do the rest.
No matter how often these tales of fear and woe are debunked the Project Fear mob simply re-cycle old ones time and time again and their chums at the BBC and MSM dutifully oblige them yet again.
Added to that on the receiving end is the awful “Scottish Cringe” which was created and has been nurtured by Westminster for hundreds of years and their acceptance of “this is as good as its gets” by the primevally loyal Labour Party members who if told to go and s**t in the corner of their living room would immediately go and do it “because the Labour Party told them to to do it”.
The fact that Project Fear are ahead in the polls is not due to their own efforts for they neither have the vision or the ideas or the speakers or the boots on the ground that the YES campaign have, but they do have a totally complaint media to do their dirty work for them.
In any real democracy these people would have been given the mother of all roastings by the media and run out of town in the process and the YES campaign would be coasting to victory. But this is politically corrupt Great Britain where Westminster buys votes and threatens and intimidates voters and seemingly gets away with it because people just roll over and accept “that is the way it is”.
However it doesn’t have to be that way because YES has the vision, and the ideas and the boots on the ground and the willpower to make the effort to get the message across to persuade voters to vote YES.
Speaking as a nominal member of the Financial Service industry (we’re NOT all thievin’ bastards on multi-million pound bonuses, by the way – most of us are quite normal and quite angry about the current situation, but I digress), I have to say that Gideon engineered this from day one. His “vote for independence, walk away from the pound” shite was timed to trigger exactly these kind of hysteric headlines as responsible businesses would have to consider this “risk” in their projections. Cue screaming Daily Mail headlines.
But on the topic of the economy and finances in general, I came across this on YouTube today. Now, I have to put lots of caveats on this because I haven’t studied this in detail, so some of the content could be total BS, but some elements of it do ring true in terms of the dire state of the UK economy. If even just half of this is true, we need to vote YES big time to get the hell out before we’re sucked into the black hole – and be prepared for quite a lot of English folks moving north of the border (where they will be perfectly welcome – unless they were part of the Westminster “elite” 😀 ).
[youtube link to youtube.com